Montana Mountains and Connecticut Cursing

I went into 2021 planning on running a midnight marathon in Nevada, but COVID had other plans. A week before that race, I tested positive. Fortunately my symptoms were fairly mild and I was only off the road for about a week. Since I was already trained to run a race, I tried to find another state with one coming up. Bozeman Montana was the winner. So a month after having COVID, (and a few negative tests) I was off to Bozeman to run a hilly, mountainous marathon. 

I was pleasantly surprised by Bozeman. A very hipster-y sort of town. The first day I arrived I explored the Big Sky area, which was about 45 mins from Bozeman, in the Gallatin Valley. There were a lot of hiking options, but since I was alone and running a marathon the next day, I tried to play it safe by picking a family-friendly, well populated trail, the Ousel Falls trail. I realized why they call Montana the Big Sky state. I finished off the day carb-loading at a local brewery, Beehive Basin, in downtown Big Sky. There was no shortage of good beer in Montana. 

Race day morning, we were loaded onto school buses and dropped off in the middle of a dark field in the middle of nowhere. If I watched a lot a true crime, I'm sure my imagination would have been going through a lot of unpleasant scenarios. I think it was too cold through for any murderous ill-doers to be out there. It was maybe about 36 degrees, and I was not dressed for these temperatures. By the time the race started, I had no feeling left in my toes and couldn't stop shivering.  

The sun quickly came up though and while it was a challenging, hilly course, the views were amazing. I didn't finish with a great time, but I did finish, which I was pretty proud of having only had COVID a month earlier. 

Very Montana medal

I did visit a few breweries after the race, and ordered an IPA at Nordic Brewery simply because it was named Princess Unicorn. I typically avoid IPAs, but how could I pass up that name. And much to my dismay, they are starting to grow on me. I also visited the local hot springs just outside of downtown Bozeman.  They were a bit commercialized and not a pool of hot water in the wilderness, but still pretty amazing. Plus, you get the benefit of going from the hot pools into the icy cold baths and then repeating. They say it's good for circulation. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have the traditional oysters after this race. I did replenish my carbs with some delicious pasta at a restaurant with very unique artwork. 

About a month and a half later, I snuck in another marathon before the end of 2021 to try and keep on track with at least 2 races a year. I headed off to West Haven, Connecticut for the Savin Rock marathon. 

A bit of a different landscape from Montana. West Haven greeted me with gray skies and rainy beaches. One thing that both race courses had in common where the hills. I spent most of this race cold, wet and cursing the weather the entire way. I really did not want to be out there and it was really hard to keep going. At least I got a medal with a shark on it out of the whole ordeal.

The presumed Savin Rock

Right down the road from my hotel, in the famed town of Orange, CT was the PEZ factory. Since it was still raining, and I couldn't think of anything else to do, I took a visit. Some interesting facts, PEZ was invented in Austria in 1927 as a breath mint to cover smoke breath, and derived from the German word for peppermint, "pfeffrerminz."  I'm not sure how it became the company of character dispensers, but they had display after display of old dispensers throughout the years. I captured photos of some real gems, even one that I'm not sure ever made it to market, which is probably a good thing. I'm not sure the Colonel would have been flattered by his likeness.

 I did finish the visit off with my traditional post-race oysters at a place in New Haven that made amazing cocktails as well. 

So that wrapped up 2021 for races 37 and 38.  And I rang in 2022 by getting married! Upcoming blog on my first race of 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, and perhaps a second chance at that Nevada midnight marathon! 

Running towards the Bling...and Then More Bling

 As usual, this is a way over due post on my last marathon, which was waaaaayyy back in November 2020. But as I'm sure the rest of you can relate to, time has both seemed to stop but is also flying by. So now it's August 2021 and I'm just getting to this post. 

So because of our friend COVID, state numero 36 was....you guessed it in Florida. I hadn't run the sunshine state yet, so it worked out that I could run a race and not have to really travel far. I opted for the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa Beach, near Cape Canaveral where all the space launches happen. My boyfriend of a little over a year at this point came along with my furry sidekick Dean. This was the boyfriend's first time joining me for a race and his first time also as a spectator. For some reason, he was not surprised by how much of the hotel room I took over with my race gear and supplies. I guess he'd known me long enough to know that I'd take over the room. 

The race was the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, which was great because you can eat all the turkey, mashed potatoes and pie with less guilt knowing you're going to burn all the extra calories off in a few days. Because of the pandemic, there were different rules in place. We all had to wear masks in the start corral and had to maintain a socially safe distance between other runners. We were allowed to remove them once we started, but I did keep mine on for a few miles until we were all spaced out a little more. 

It was dark when the race started, but fortunately where we started was fairly well lit. The nice thing about starting when its dark is that you get to also see the sunrise.  I can think of worse scenery to run along side. 

The boyfriend was supposed to meet me around the half way mark, but realized as I got close to that point that the halfway point was in a different place than the where the half-marathoners would be finishing. I sent a quick text to let him know so hopefully he would be in the right place, but that didn't seem to work out. Oh well, there was still 13 miles left to find him. 

The second half of the race was an out and back so there were many opportunities for him and the dog to cheer me on, which they were successful in. I think he was surprised at how complicated spectating was and how little time you have to get between spots. But I saw him probably at least 6 times. I think the last time I saw him was around mile 22 or 23. Of course I'm exhausted and not really thinking of anything other than how much it hurts and that I STILL have 3 miles left. Some part of me thought I heard him at that last point say something amidst my music about running to get a ring, but I pretty much dismissed that thinking I heard it wrong. 

I get to the finish line and didn't see boyfriend, but did find him shortly after. Little Dean was such a trooper running all over the place with him, and did so good for a 15-year-old pooch. We both took a little rest in the shade after the race. 

Because of COVID, they didn't hand out the race medals at the finish, we got them in the bag at packet pickup, so it was a little anti-climatic not getting the race bling at the finish. Regardless, it was some pretty cool hardware and pretty big as far as race medals go. 

So remember that part where I thought I heard something about a ring? Well, obviously I didn't hear that right since I made it to the finish and there was no bling of any kind waiting for me at the finish line. And to be honest, I wasn't really thinking of that at all after finishing. I was focused on showering and food. So we headed back to the hotel so I could shower, rest a bit and then think about where to get post-race oysters. Ends up though, that I did hear him right, and was surprised after my shower with some extra post-race bling and a proposal! Seems he had planned all along to do it at the finish line, but then was a little nervous with all the people around, not wanting to make a big spectacle of anything. Regardless, it was a private and perfect proposal, to which I said yes! 

Marathon complete? Check. Engaged? Check. Oysters? Not checked. Off to Jazzy's for the traditional post-race and engagement celebratory oysters. Super fun atmosphere, which I would expect nothing less from a place called Jazzy's. And for those of you know anyone who goes by the moniker, Jazzy, I'm sure, you'd agree. ; )  Definitely a very Florida vibe, with great food and fresh oysters. 

Obviously, this marathon was memorable for many reasons. It was in the middle of a global pandemic, it had a ginormous medal, and I got engaged. Number 37 was supposed to happen this weekend, but as many things in the past year and a half, it didn't happen as planned. We're not out of the woods yet with our friend COVID, who just won't leave, and it seems this Delta variant is a tricky lil' bastard, even with those who are vaccinated. This virus doesn't care if you're young, old, black, white, religious, atheist, Republican or Democrat. So vax up, mask up, and please do your part to take care of your family, your friends, your community and yourself. Ok, off my soap box.  Take care of yourself and each other. Stay safe out there! 

Mo' Cowbell, Mo' Medal, Mo' Marathons

You'd think I wouldn't have waited 6 months into a pandemic, where there is nothing to do all weekend, no races to train for, remote working, etc. to write a blog post for marathons I ran in October 2019 and March 2020. But yet, I've continued to put this off. Puzzles, Netflix binge watching and home organization seem to have taken a priority. And here in Florida, we've still been able to bike, run and walk around outside at a safe social-distance. 

2000 pieces everbody! 

So I guess I'll start with the first, last race I've not shared. 

Let me take you back to October, 2019. To a time when there was no COVID-19, the country wasn't in mass-protest, travel was a thing, hands were soft and alcohol free, recycle bins weren't overflowing with wine/beer/liquor bottles, and politics were normal... well maybe not that last one. I'm not taking us back that far. But there were still marathons! My race-cation crew of Sangeeta and Bethany were along for the half-marathon, and we all met up from our respective cities in the Gateway to the West, St. Louis for the Mo' Cowbell marathon. Don't get confused, this race is not named as such to encourage race spectators to bang those dang annoying instruments more. It was named as an homage to a great skit on SNL with Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken. There were unfortunately still plenty of actual cowbells assaulting my ears along the race course. 

So when running in St. Louis, carb-loading at the Anheuser-Busch brewery is required, I'm pretty sure. We checked that off the list post-expo and post-tacos at Mission Taco. And we of course did the obligatory visit to the Arch. 

If you are looking to do a race in Missouri, this is one that is well organized, the course is nice and the best part is that they had no lines for the post-race massages (at least by the time I finished) :). Sangeeta and Bethany had also scoped out the best post-race vendors with the best swag.

Pre-race. Fresh and smiling

Post-race. Less fresh, still smiling

We did follow our post-race tradition of oysters. We brought our own bubbly, thinking we would just be charged a nominal corkage fee by the restaurant. For those of you in places like Chicago where BYOB is prevalent, then you are familiar with the typical $5-$10 corkage fee. We didn't really give it much thought, but then got the bill and was shocked to see it was $25! Of course, our key negotiator Sangeeta got the bartender to reduce it significantly, and we rewarded him with forgetting to sign the tab (we called back later once we realized it). 

And with that, another state and another marathon checked off the list. 

Now let me take you back to the 80s (or March 2020 in Little Rock, AR). This race was a make up from the year before, when I was stuck in travel hell and missed the race. Race directors were kind enough to let me defer my registration to this year, which I feel like was a blessing in disguise, since the 2020 theme was...drumroll..... the 80s (compared to the Space Odyssey in 2019). Who doesn't love the 80s?  

Me, I love the 80s

I felt a little bit like I just snuck this race in (which was on March 1st) just before the country went into stay-at-home mode.  But when we can travel again, and you just so happen to may your way to Little Rock, I recommend driving a bit out of the way to Hot Springs. Great hiking, great hot springs and great beer. I spent the day there pre-race. 

Hiking in Hot Springs National Park

Flight at Superior Bathhouse Brewing

When you forget flip flops and you have to buy them at the bathhouse. But you get to keep them forever!

So basically, I'm pretty sure people run this race simply for the ginormous medal. I mean, that is why I did it. It truly is probably the best medal I've ever received, in both size and detail. 

Race day 80s vibe

Detail

Perspective

I celebrated state number 35 on my journey to 50 with, you guessed it, oysters. A little joint called Flying Fish. Good seafood, good beer and great kitsch.

Oyster (shells) and beer

Kitsch

And that was the last marathon I've done. Normally I would be training to run another marathon this fall, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to run another one. I know they are still happening in some places, but I've not thought too hard about doing another one this year. Honestly, it has been kind of nice to not be training so much. I've been able to do more cycling, more strength training and I've taken up pickleball (when in Rome). I do miss the travel though, which I think for me has been one of the hardest parts of all this. Because no travel means not seeing new places, and not seeing my friends and family. But just like a marathon, this pain is temporary. And let's just hope for a big shiny medal at the end of all this!  My thoughts are with all of you who might be sick, who have lost loved ones during the pandemic or who may be struggling financially. You're stronger than you realize, and we'll get through this. Be safe! 

The Mueller Marathon: Sometimes Family Can Be Your Worst Enemy

June 8, 2019...the date the Mueller marathon tried to take me down. Make no mistake about it, sometimes your family comes down on you the hardest. If I was hoping for a break because I'm a Mueller, I was being naive.

This is us before we realized what
we'd gotten ourselves into.

Maybe it was just trying to teach me a lesson because I decided to make my first trail run ever a marathon. Maybe it just was giving me some tough love. Whatever it was, I got no warm fuzzies from the Mueller Marathon in Divide, CO. Starting at 9000 feet above sea level, with an elevation gain of 4000 -5000 feet (to about 14,000 feet) it was a true test of family loyalty.  Had it not been for Bethany who also naively agreed to run this with me, I would have left the family, disowned my name. Whatever I had to do to get away from this torture.

Me trying to make it up a hill. They all started
to look the same. So, so many of them.

The inclines were so steep. Too steep to run. We basically used the the ground to claw our way up them. So we figured, well, at least we can run the downhills.  Nope. Also steep..to the point where we worried we would pummel down the hillside.  So ultimately a lot of walking.

Don't get me wrong, the course was beautiful, making its way through Mueller State Park. But we should have known this race would be ridiculously hard since a normal marathon cut off time is about 6 hours. This race..well, they were kind enough to give us 9 hours to finish.

We quickly developed a love/hate relationship with one another. True of many family relationships, right? Bethany was cursing my name. Actually we were both cursing a lot of things. (Apologies to the families with small children we accidentally happened upon during our arduous trek).

Bethany and I finished at a solid 7 1/2 hours. We were just thankful to have made it in less than 9 hours, since there were many times we weren't so sure that was going to happen.

But we did it, and now I have a medal with my name on it. No inscription fee needed! And of course a cool race tshirt with my name. I'm sure Bethany will still curse my name whenever she sees that medal or wears that shirt. She may never forgive me...

Now for the pre and post-race highlights...

I arrived a few days before the race to "try" and adjust a bit to the altitude. I met up with my friend Nicole and her 2 super cool kids in downtown Golden.

I love having a chance to get to know the cool little humans my friend's kids start to turn into as they get older. And hopefully I didn't scar either her son or daughter with my tales of horrible first dates. But Jack is already leaps and bounds ahead in the chivalry department, prepared to treat a future lucky lady to dinner.  I also squeezed in a dinner with another college friend, Ami; as always, we had a great time catching up. Aaaaaand, I also had lunch with a friend from a prior job, Megan, who I quickly realized was pregnant, exciting news I was unaware of! As I write this, she is a new mom to this little peanut who arrived just days ago. Congrats and can't wait to meet him during my next visit!



Megan suggested a nice course for a little practice run. And I thought this hill was going to be hard. So beautiful though!






My race squad arrived a day after I did, and we of course, did a little sightseeing / hiking before the race in the nearby aptly named Garden of the Gods.

And when you travel with your race squad, you buy squad t-shirts.

#squadgoals

We also enjoyed some pre-race hot springs. Well, I might have gone back without my squad pos- race while they were road tripping back to the midwest.

The view from the barrel of hot mineral water. 

Lady date in the hot tub?

In all seriousness, I would have never finished this race without Bethany pushing me to keep climbing. And that badass was using this as training for the Madison, WI Ironman, which she finished just last month (September)! And Gillian was a great addition to the race squad, bringing me ice for my ankle, running out to pick up pizza. Love both you ladies from 9000 to 14,000 feet and back!

Checking #34 and the state of Colorado off the list! Slowly but surely, making my way to 50. Up next, Mo' Cowbell in St. Charles, Missouri, joined by my race squad Bethany and Sangeeta this time around! Stay tuned for that blog.

Arkansas, a.k.a. North Carolina

So it's been a while since I posted here. And as usual this post is well after I've run the race I'm writing about. ;)  In my last post, I was 4 days into a move to Naples, FL and 2 days into a new job. It's been almost 8 months there, and I'm started to feel a bit settled in, although I miss Chicago, my friends there, and my old life there everyday. Fortunately, many of my northern friends made the transition much easier by making the trek down to escape the winter months and enjoy the beaches of Naples!

A glimpse of Shanghai

This new job has given me a some work/life balance, so I actually committed to doing some legitimate training. Intervals, speed work, strength training, all that fun stuff. Last time I posted, I was registered for the Little Rock Marathon in March with a ginormous medal in my future.  Sadly, that future did not materialize. The week before the race I had to travel to China for work (another reason to like this new job!). 

I was scheduled to arrive back in Florida Friday night, to catch a Saturday morning flight to Little Rock. I was mentally preparing for running this thing jet lagged and tired. Unfortunately, we were delayed leaving Shanghai, so I missed my connection in Montreal because somehow they decided to close US customs just as we were all rushing up to catch our flights that had not yet left. Anyway, I spend the night in Montreal and the entire day Saturday in the Montreal airport, so needless to say, I did not make it to Little Rock. But I couldn't let that training go to waste!  Fortunately, I found a marathon the very next weekend in Wilmington Beach, NC, a state I'd not yet checked off the list. So I signed myself up, booked a flight and hotel, and I was set.

Of course, I had some flight delays and was worried that again, I might miss another race. Fortunately it worked out and I made it on time to get to the expo and pick up my race packet. The weather race day was a perfect temperature, although a little bit of drizzle was there to start us off. But I didn't care too much about that.

The course was nice and flat, although not a ton of support from spectators. But great volunteers! All in all, if anyone is looking to check off a race in NC, this one isn't too bad. Plus, the finish line had some good beer from Dogfish Head did hit the spot. And, in usual tradition, I did find a spot for some post-race oysters in town. Hieronymus Seafood and Oyster Bar is a low key, unpretentious spot for some great oysters and seafood.


The day after the race, I checked out historic downtown Wilmington. Oh, and I forgot to mention I did have a great companion traveling with me, Flat Stanley (one of my best friend's daughter had a school project, so I took him along to experience some highlights of NC).  We saw old battleships, cotton exchanges, and horse drawn carriages. There was also a cool shop called Black Cat that has a gift for anyone on your gift list!


So North Carolina held the spot of my 33rd marathon.  As I'm writing this, I just finished running a marathon #34 in CO, but that deserves it's own post!